Abstract

Getting a Driver's Abstract from outside of Alberta:

A driver's abstract is a record of the driving history of an individual and tracks things like: the expire date of the licence, whether the licence has been suspended, and the number of demerit points or moving violations that have been assessed against the driver due to driving infractions. These demerits wear off over time. The University of Alberta sets limits on how many demerits or moving violations a person is allowed to have and continue to drive a university vehicle.

Vehicle pool checks the abstract of every new driver. It also rechecks the abstract every 6 months for anyone who continues to drive University vehicles. For people who only drive in the summer or winter, they check the abstract every spring and fall.

Vehicle Pool, through an Alberta Registries Office, can only access abstracts for licences issued in Alberta. Through a contract with the Alberta Registries, they can get these for about $3 each and pay for this cost from their operating budget. People with licences from outside of Alberta must contact the office that issued their drivers licence to request an abstract. This may cost about $10-15 and the individual is responsible for paying this fee.

Students registered in a program at an institution of higher learning are allowed to keep their home province/state driver's licence while going to school and living in another province. However, this means they are responsible for getting and paying for their abstracts so long as they want to drive university vehicles. A student who transferred to an Alberta licence would not have to obtain their driving abstract since vehicle pool could obtain it once they sign the Application for University Driving Privileges/Consent to obtain Driver Abstract form.

If an person is no longer a registered student (e.g. they graduated) and is living in a different province, they are required to transfer their licence to the new province within 90 days of their change in status.

How to request an Abstract from outside of Alberta

An individual needs to contact the North American authority who issued their drivers licence.

Note: if you have a Graduated Driver's licence, don't bother requesting an abstract as persons with a Graduated licence are not allowed to drive University vehicles.

Look for the Provincial (or State) Government web pages and locate the licencing authority.

In Ontario it is the Ontario Ministry of Transportation and in British Columbia, it is the Insurance Corporation of BC (ICBC).

  • you are looking for a driving abstract or driving record
  • you want a 3 year driving abstract (some jurisdictions have a choice of 3 year or 5 year abstract). If they only have a 5 year record, we will only evaluate the last 3 years
  • if their is a choice, please request an abstract written in English
  • if available, request a PDF file be emailed to you. The alternative would be a faxed document or a paper one mailed to you.
  • send the document to the Fleet Safety Contact in the department.
  • for new drivers who are submitting an Application for University Driving Privileges ..., attach the abstract to this form before submitting to the Fleet safety contact
  • again, Vehicle Pool does not reimburse individuals for the cost of obtaining their abstract.